THE taxpayer paid more than €1m in legal fees for the so-called ‘Anglo Trial’.

The fees were paid by the Director of Public Prosecutions for the trial of Anglo executives Sean Fitzpatrick, William McAteer and Pat Whelan.

Fees paid to counsel during the course of the trial (including VAT) include more than €238,000 to both Una Ni Raifeartaigh SC and Paul O’Higgins SC. Paul A McDermott BL was paid more than €148,000 and Diana Stuart more than €35,000.

While direct trial costs paid to legal counsel totalled €676,579, there were also significant fees paid in relation to pre-trial work

“The figures above represent fees paid for the trial of Sean Fitzpatrick, William McAteer and Pat Whelan,” the DPP said in a statement today.

“Apart from this, significant amounts have been paid to counsel in relation to work on other related files submitted by the Gardai relevant to their investigation. Some of the this work related to the above trial.”

The additional expenditure to June 2014 totalled €355,037. It includes more than €265,000 to Ms Ni Raifeartaigh and more than €85,000 to Mr O’Higgins.

Former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick was earlier this year cleared of illegally lending Sean Quinn's family €169m.

He was also cleared of all charges relating to an illegal loan-for-shares deal the bank put together in the months it collapsed over five years ago.

Mr Whelan and Mr McAteer were today sentenced to 240 hours community service each for giving illegal loans to the so-called Maple 10 to buy shares in the bank.